West Coast Customs builds working Mario karts for new video game

It seemed like a simple enough request. West Coast Customs got the call: “I need a machine that can do 0 to 60 in less than five seconds.”

“No problem,” founder and CEO Ryan Friedlinghaus said.

“Underwater,” the voice came back.

That voice on the other end of the phone was Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO of Nintendo of America, and the machine was a go-kart based on the upcoming Mario Kart 7 video game.

“I was a little worried,” said Friedlinghaus. “It was definitely a challenge.”

But they delivered. At the Los Angeles auto show, the team unveiled the karts.

Mario's ride looks more like a traditional go-kart, with four wheels at the corners and two mufflers in back. The steering wheel sits awkwardly upright, and the M-badged (for Mario) pedals sit on opposite sides of the column. A hang glider is attached for when the karts have to take to the air.

Mario Kart 7 will be all about the customization, according to Fils-Aime. Players will be able to add air and water attachments as well as customize the chassis and wheels to their liking. The game always featured karts with different attributes but never allowed for setup changes on individual karts.

Luigi's kart was a little more cartoonish. It wore a bumble-bee body with a propeller for underwater races. Its tires were treaded--as opposed to Mario's race slicks--and it had a stinger in the front.

Both karts get electric motors and were furiously tested by the guys at West Coast. The karts go about 30 mph to 35 mph and will be given away during the launch of the new game in December.

The crew couldn't tell us much about the cost or the length of the build because the project will be featured in a television special sometime in 2012. But they did say they had plenty of fun testing the karts.

We only got a few minutes with the new 3DS game, but from what we saw it looks as fun and as silly as the other six games in the series--possibly even more so with the option to race complete strangers carrying a 3DS on the street.

Check out the gallery and keep your eyes on the road in December. You might see Mario going wheel to wheel with a Mini Cooper in the other lane.

By Jake Lingeman